spencer



J. A. SPENCER AEROPLANE.

APPL CATION FILED MAY 20. 1918.

Patented May 13, 1919 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.-

XE/2.2.4 01m rzaer,

J. A. SPENCER AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION fIlL-ED MA'EYLZQ, 1918 1,303,737. Patented Ma '13,1919.

/ 2 S HEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN A. S PENCER, 0F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '13, 1919.

,kpplication filed May 20, 1918. Serial No. 235,733.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to aeroplanes, and consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a perspective of an aeroplane I embodying the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fied form.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the mounting of one of the motor driven propellers used in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the mounting of one of the motor driven propellers used in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of the system for mechanically controlling the propellers shown in Fig. 1. i

Fig. 6 is a diagram of the electric system used in Fig. 1. v

The floats 1 and 2 are straight and parallel longitudinally and V-shaped in crosssection, and the tops of the floats land 2 are built integral with the deck 3, there being an arch-shaped passage 1 between the floats 1 and 2 and below the deck 3 and extending from end to end. The planes 5 and 6 are mounted above the deck 3 and supported upon posts 7 and 8. Compartments 9 and perspective showing a modi- 10 are formed frOin the upper face of the.

deck 3 at the transverse center and near each end. Supporting arms 11 and 12 extend horizontally outwardly from one side of the deck 3, and similar supporting arms 13 and 14 extendhorizontally outwardly from the other side of the deck, the arms 11 and 13 being in transverse alinement, and the arms 12 and 14 being in transverse alinement. A shaft 15 is-mmintfed to extend through bearings 16 in the outer ends of the arms 11 and 13, said shaft extending en tirely through the deck 3. A similar shaft 17 is mounted in similar hearings in the outer ends of the supporting arms 12 and 14 and extends through the deck3. A motor shaft bearing 18 is fixed upon one end of the shaft 15 crosswis of the shaft so that the bearing 18 will rotate endwise When the shaft 15 rotates. The motor casing 19 is fixed to one end of the bearing 18. The mo tor 20 is mounted in the motor casing 19. The motor shaft Y the 21 extends through the bearing 18 from the motor 20 and the propeller 22 is fixed uponthe opposite end of shaft 21 from the motor 20. In a like manner the propeller 23 is mounted upon the other end of the shaft 15 and the propellers 2-1 and are mounted upon the ends of the shaft 17. The propeller 23 is driven by. a motor 26 and the propellers 21 and 25 are driven by motors 27 and 28. A shaft 29 is mounted longitudinally of the deck 3 and one end of the shaft 29 is connected to the shaft 15 by bevel gears 30 and 31 and the other end of the shaft 29 isconnectedto the. shaft 17 by bevel gears 32 and 33. A crank 34 is mounted in a position convenient to the operator, a wheel 35 is fixed upon the crank 3%, and a chain or belt 36 runs over the Wheel 35 and over a wheel 37 fixed upon the shaft 29 so thatby operating the handle 38 of the crank the shaft 29 is rotated one way or the other to rotate the shafts 15 and 17, and the rotation of the shafts 15 and 17 swings the propellers 22, 23, 24. and" 25 in planes concentric to the axes of the shafts 15 and 17, as required to change the direction of pull or push of the propellers.

The internal combustion engine 39 operates the dynamo @LO. The storage battery all is connected to the dynamo 40' through an automatic circuit breaker 42 and through the line 13. The main line from the dynamo 40 runs through the line 45, the switch as, and the line 5L7, to the switches 4:8, 19, 50, 51 and 52. The switch stS controls the mo tor 27, the switch 49 controls the motor 26, the switch 50 controls the motor 20, the

switch 51 controls the motor 28, and the switch 52 controls the motor 53 over the line 5st, said motor 53 being connected to operate the crank shaft 55 of the engine 39, so that when the storage battery 41 is charged, closing the switches 46 and 52 will place the motor 53 in the storage battery circuit and start the motor 53 to start the engine 39.

The lines 56, 57, 58 and 59 run from the switches as, 49, 50 and 51, respectively, to

the current may pass from the line 58 to the motor 20 while the motor 20 and propeller 22 are swinging around the axis of the shaft 15. In a like manner electric connections are made from the wires 56, 57 and 59 to the motors 27, 26 and 28. i

As before suggested, the propellers '22, 23, 24: and 25 swing around the axes of the shafts 15 and 17 sothat by manipulating the handle -38of the crank 34 the operatormay control the direction of pull or push of the propellers as required to go stra1ght.up,go' ahead, or go backward.

zThe floats 1 and 2 will support the aeroplane upon the surface of water like a catamaran and when it is desired to raise straight up-from the water or from the ground the handle 38 of the crank 34: is operated to swing the propellers to rotate on vertical axes so the force of propulsion will be in 3 vertical lines, and then the force of propulsion will be exerted to raise the aeroplane straight up from the land or water likea helicopter, and when the aeroplane has reached the desired height, reducing the speed of the motors, to a proper point W111 maintain the aeroplane practicallyin a stationary position. When desired, the crank 34'inay be operated to swing the propellers to' inclined or horizontal positions, as re quired to move the aeroplane forwardly or.

..backwardly. In this way the aeroplane is pnl'sion without stoppingthe engine or stopping anything.

underthecontrol of the operator and the motorsjinay be run continuously to lift the aeroplane or to move'it forwardly or back-.

wardly or at any desired angle, and when 'the aeroplane isgoing'in one direction and it is desired to slow up or stop, the crank 34 may be operated to turn the propellers end for end, thus reversing the direction of pro In the modified construction shown in Figs. .2 and 4 the propeller constructions 66 and 67 are mounted in the passage 4 and the power mechanism 68 operates these propeller constructions.

The details of the propeller construction 66 are as follows: The beam 69 is mounted horizontally, transversely of the passage 4., and in the upper part of the'passage, and the beam is supported by bearings-70 and 71 .fixe'd 'to the inner faces-:72 and'73 of the fioatsl and 2. Themotor frame'74 is fixed the frame 74, and the motor-shaft 76 exto the beam 69, the motor is mounted in tends from the motor. 75 through a bearing 77 transversely of the beam 69 and at its center, and the propeller 78 is fixed upon the end of. the motor shaft 76. In a like manher the propeller construction 67 is mounted at the other end of the passage 4.

A'stub-shaft 79 is fixed to the beam 69 and extends through the bearing 71. A bevel gear 80 is fixed upon'the stub-shaft 79. A

shaft 81 is mounted longitudinally of the float 2- and a bevel gear 82 fixed upon the shaft-'81 meshes with the gear 80. In a like I manner the other endof the shaft 81 is con- "nected to the propeller construction 67. A Wheel 83 is fixed upon the shaft 81, a crank shaft 84: is mounted in position convenient to the ,operator, a wheel 85 is fixed upon the crank shaft 84:, a belt or chain 86 runs over the wheel 85 and the wheel 83, and the crank shaft 84. is operatedby a hand-crank 87, so that the swing of the propellers may be controlled by manipulating the handle 87. The

electric and generating system shown in Fig.

G and described with reference to Fig. 1 may i be used in the power plant 68, the only difmay beset to pull or push, and that the .pro-

, pellers may be on the front ends of the shafts or on the rear ends of the shafts.

The drawings are to beconsidered as conventional and diagrammatic and it is to be understood that the form-of aeroplane is not essential and that rudders or steering apparatus, safety appliances, and so on, may be applied as desired. v

The leadingfeature of my invention is the mounting of a propeller to swing around an axis transverse oft'he rotating axis, and to provide means for driving and swinging the propeller.

Any desired number of propellers may be used and any suitable system of wiring and generating power may be used.

Various other changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of my I claim:

invention as claimed.

1. In an aeroplane, two straight parallel V-shaped floats, a deck built integral with the tops of the floats and connecting the floats together and forming an arch-shaped passage between the floats below the deck, postsextending upwardly from the deck, and lifting planes mounted upon. the posts.

2. In an aeroplane, two straight parallel floats; a deck connecting the tops of the floats, there being compartments formed' .from the upper f gciofithedeck at the trans- "erse c er. en inearsachie supporting arms extending horizontally outwardly from the sides of the deck in transverse lines; a

shaft mounted in the forward pair of supporting arms; asecond shaft mounted in the rear pair ofsu-pporting arms; motors mounted upon the ends of the shafts, the axes of the Juniors being crosswise ot' the axes of the hat'ts; propellers upon the motors: a third shaft mounted lflliflltl tlinnll) ot' the deck and geared to the first two shafts: a crank conveniently mounted in one of the compare meme: :1 wheel fixed upon the crank; a wheel fixed upon the third shaft; and a connection between the two wheels so that by manipulating the crank the direction of pull of the propellers may be regulated.

3. In an aeroplane, two straight parallel floats; a deck connected to the tops of the floats there being a compartment formed from the upper face of the deck atthe transverse center; supporting arms extending horizontallv and transversely of the floats; xdrafts mounted in the supporting arms; motore mounted upon the shafts, the axes of the motors being croeswise of. the axes of the shafts; propellers upon the. motors; a third sha'tt mounted longiuulinally and geared to the transverse shafts: a crank conveniently mountedin the compartment; a wheel fixed upon the crank; and a connection between the crank wheel and the third shaft so that; by manipulating the crank the direction of pull of the propellers may be regulated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN A. SPENCER. 

